Miami Dolphins scheme changes will be challenging says Grier
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins hired a 3-4 defensive coach to run their entire team in Brian Flores and changing from a 4-3 is not as easy as some would think.
When the Miami Dolphins made the play for Brian Flores they did so with the hopes of turning their horrible defense into something special. The rub is that in New England the Patriots ran a variety of defensive schemes that were based out of a 3-4. The Dolphins do not have the pieces for a 3-4.
At defensive end, Andre Branch and Robert Quinn do not fit the 3-4 outside linebacker type while Cameron Wake and Charles Harris do. Miami has two good tackles in Vincent Taylor and Davon Godchaux but neither can play as a nose tackle and it is uncertain if they can slide outside.
This is only one challenge that these changes will bring and Dolphins GM Chris Grier spoke about those on Monday.
(You talked about running multiple defenses and being multiple. How difficult is that to create in terms of a roster that has both concepts of a 3-4 and a 4-3?)
"– “It’ll be different. It is. It’s a little bit of a challenge because you are always looking for different pieces and parts there. I think the way the NFL is now, a lot of teams bounce back and forth between a 3-4, whether it’s Under or Over (formations). It’ll be a little bit of a project, I guess like you said, in terms of finding those pieces. There are some pieces here. (Flores) said he liked some of our pieces obviously going against us a couple of years, especially some of the offensive pieces he liked a lot. But it will be a process, as he’s talked about.” MiamiDolphins.com"
If the Dolphins and Brian Flores are going to try to run a similar defense to what was seen in New England then the pieces do need to change and while it may be difficult, the truth is if you are re-building the roster then it is time to do those changes now and move forward, take your lumps, and get better.
Miami will have system changes on both sides of the ball and how well they get players adapted to those schemes will shorten the re-build time. Offensively there has to be players that Flores likes. Jakeem Grant is versatile and he and Albert Wilson are exceptionally gifted with speed. Danny Amendola is familiar with the coaches and the system as well.
At running back who wouldn’t like Kenan Drake and Kalen Ballage? Brandon Boldin is familiar as well but at 30 years old facing free agency he no longer fits the youth movement mold the Dolphins want to transition to.
How well Grier and Flores can identify the players that will fit their system will be important to the off-season and what the Dolphins do this off-season will lessen the needs of the 2020 off-season making the next few months extremely important for personnel.